The Greatest Con
by Primande
Summary: "He knew that this was probably one his most hazardous con, for he had literally everything to lose if it went wrong. He only hoped that, in the end, Lisbon would understand that he had done that to protect her from any heartache. He knew how much she loved her brothers, and how much it would hurt her to think of one of them as a killer." 7x07


**A/N: Well hello there. I'm back for a multichapter, not a very long one though. It will probably be four chapters long, but I can't be sure yet. Since it's about 7x07, I hope I will be able to finish this before the episode airs, but I'm not sure I'll manage it. We shall see. I will take a few liberties regarding what we know about the episode (which is not much, I'm afraid). For those who wanted a continuation of Compromises, I'm sorry, but I had literally no creativeness. If 7x06 inspires me, though, maybe I'll post another chapter. I can't be sure.**

Poker was a tough game, and Jimmy Lisbon was pretty well situated to present evidence in favor of that affirmation. Well, financially speaking, his situation was not so good. To be honest, it was even catastrophic. He had a lot of debts to pay (and he owed money to a few persons he really didn't want to cross), and yet he kept playing. He knew he was stupid to do so, but it seemed like he couldn't stop anymore. Most times it scared him to no end, being that reckless, but he tried to push that feeling away. He couldn't afford to let worry affect him during his games.

Not being allowed in casinos anymore, he had to find other ways to play poker. Illegal ways, of course. And that's how he got caught in this huge mess.

Never in his life had he thought he would one day have to hide from the FBI, but in his motel room, as he sneaked a peek through the curtains, he had the bad feeling that all of this was definitely not a dream. The owner of the motel had been suspicious when he'd asked if there was a lot of people from the city coming, but he had to be sure: being recognized by one of his poker opponent, who would be more than happy to give him to the police, was certainly not his plan.

As he sat in his bed, he reviewed all of his available options, and realized with horror that he didn't have a lot of them. He could turn himself in, but he knew that the FBI would lock him up for something he didn't do. On the upside, he would also not be threatened anymore because of what he witnessed. He could also flee the country, which appeared like an attractive option, since it would also allow him not to pay his debts. But he knew that he could never come back to the States, and he wasn't sure he was brave enough to do that.

Then came his third option. Asking for help from his family. Well, from his siblings. Well, from his brothers, since he had absolutely no wish to seek help from a… CBI agent? That's what Teresa was doing, right?

Tommy and he didn't get along very much, so asking for help from him appeared out of the question as well. That left him with Stan. He knew for sure that his brother would never give him to the police, since Jimmy knew some of his brother's dirtiest secrets.

With a sigh, he picked up the phone and dialed his brother's number.

"Hey, Karen? It's Jimmy. How are you?"

He barely waited for a reply before asking:

"Um, can I speak with Stan, please? Thanks."

The crime scene was particularly bloody and gruesome this time. With three butchered bodies lying in the floor, it looked like someone painted the walls in red. Even for Teresa Lisbon, who was used to seeing crime scenes, it was surely disturbing. Cho was already at work, examining the bodies with his usual self-control, not letting anyone see whether this slaughter disturbed him.

"You okay?" he finally asked her, acknowledging her obvious discomfort.

"Uh… I guess." she answered, not wanting to show how much she wished she had chosen another job at this exact moment.

"'Kay" answered Cho, clearly not convinced, but as usual, also unwilling to intrude in other people's business.

Fortunately, Abbott and Jane arrived at that moment, allowing Lisbon to focus her attention on something else than the disturbing view of the slayed corpses. She noticed nonetheless that her boss seemed a bit disturbed by the crime scene as well. But as usual, Abbott regained his composure pretty quickly.

"Okay, people, what do we have in here?"

"Uh, three victims, all of them around the age of thirty-five. Killed by a pump-action shotgun, according to forensics. They all appear to be Caucasian men, no ID whatsoever apart from one who has a credit card with his name on it: John Quintero. Already asked Wylie to search more information on him. As you can see, the murders seem to have occurred in the course of a poker game, so maybe there's a witness out there."

"Okay, thanks Lisbon. Jane, any insight whatsoever?"

Jane had already begun his search around the room, sniffing the bodies, examining the windows, opening doors. Finally, he acknowledged Abbott's question and pointed at the table:

"Yes. See those glasses? There are five of them. So possibly a killer and a witness, or two killers, I don't know yet."

"But there's six chairs, Jane." Cho noticed. "There could also be six of them, only one didn't want to drink."

"Nah. Not very likely. And look, here" said Jane, pointing at the coat rack. "Four coats. The killer took his coat because he knew we would find DNA on it. That's why there's no set of cards either: he took them. He probably wiped his glass too. So three of the coats belong to our victims, and the fourth is the witness's."

Lisbon decided to pipe in:

"But how did the witness survive? It's not very credible that the killer butchered those three men and decided to let the fourth one alive, even though he probably saw everything. And there's not much room to hide."

"And this fourth guy can't be another killer, because he would have taken his coat too. Very good, Lisbon. That's really relevant."

She blushed a little at the compliment, and turned her head to hide her face away from her coworkers. Meanwhile, Jane seemed far away, lost in his thoughts.

"Cho, you visited this place, right?"

"Yeah."

"Is there a bathroom around here?"

"Yes, upstairs."

"So maybe the witness went to the bathroom. While he was away, something occurred here, and the killer had to do something. Bam! He kills them, and starts panicking. He takes his coat, the cards, runs away, forgetting that there's someone else."

"In that scenario, there's somebody out there who's in great danger. At some point, the killer will realize he forgot someone. He probably already did." stated Lisbon.

"Okay, folks, head back to the office, we have enough information. I'm going to ask the forensics to do their job as quickly as possible: we have to know who we're looking for." said Abbott.

Lisbon barely managed to hide her relief as she exited the scene: this was a part of her job that she wasn't always fond of.

"Hey, you're okay?" Jane asked, as perceptive as usual.

"Yeah… Just a bit shaken. . I don't why, but…"

"I understand. Not the kind of scenes you want to see every day." He was quiet for a moment before he went on. "You know what? Why don't you take a little break, I'll tell the others that you stayed here to supervise the local police investigating the illegal poker game."

Lisbon was unsurprised by his proposition. She had discovered that he tended to be extremely protective. Most of the time, she pretended to be annoyed, even if they both knew she was secretly pleased that finally Jane was allowed to show how much he cared about her.

"No, there's no need, I'm okay. Really." she answered.

Showing her weaknesses was still hard for her, especially when she had spent a lifetime hiding her emotions from anyone, scared that they would be used against her.

He gently grasped her arm, forcing her to stop walking. She was about to snap at him but she could see the barely visible hint of worry in his eyes, and she softened.

"Teresa. Please. I know it disturbed you more than you want to admit. I'm not judging you, and no one will."

Dammit. How was she supposed to resist him when he said her name that way, like he was savoring chocolate melting on his tongue? But the flicker of concern that crossed his face finally convinced her to give up. She sighed, and she could tell Jane knew he had won.

" Fine. I'll come back for lunch."

The huge grin he gave her was almost worth the decision. She could tell he wanted to bend over to peck her lips, but with their colleagues only a few meters ahead of them, it was an impossible wish. Instead, he squeezed gently her arm and gave her a slightly sheepish smile, as if he was already apologizing for all the mess he would likely create during her absence. They both he had a tendency to act stupidly when she was not around. For good measure, she warned him:

"Don't do anything irresponsible while I'm away, or else you'll regret it."

"Nope, never. Where did you get that idea?"

...

When he headed back to the office, Jane found Cho and Vega already hard at work. Somehow, they had managed to get a list of poker players who had too much debts and who weren't allowed to spend money in the local casinos anymore. Meanwhile, Wylie was running a background check on John Quintero, but that seemed to be a dead-end judging by the little groans he regularly produced.

"Hey Jane. Where's Lisbon?" Vega asked him.

"Still dealing with the local police, I think. Any leads yet?"

Vega sighed, clearly already exhausted.

"You won't believe how many persons managed to get kicked out of the casino. And I don't even know where to start, how are we supposed to interview so many people? "

"You can just follow your instinct." Jane suggested.

"Uh? Those are just names, how am I supposed to follow my instincts?"

Jane quickly got up of his couch, clearly thrilled by this idea of sharing his tricks. With a little smile, Vega handed him the list.

"Okay, let's see. Harry Pearson, you can erase him from the list. Mary Lewis and Angelina Doyle too."

"Why?" she asked curiously.

"Because I like their names. Then you can also erase…"

"Jane! This is not how we are supposed to work. What if one of them turns out to be the killer?"

Strangely, Jane felt a hint of nostalgia as he heard her reprimand him. Vega reminded him of Lisbon, and he could almost remember her, in his attic, saying the exact same words.

But suddenly, a familiar name drew Jane's attention back to the list. As Vega was still scolding at him, she didn't notice him frowning as he thumbed through the list. Cho did, however, and he had learned that Jane's concerns were most on the time noteworthy:

"Jane. What's going on?"

"Wylie. Can you check something for me, please?" he requested, ignoring his coworker.

"Sure, what is it?" Wylie asked, clearly sensing that Jane had found something important.

"There's a James Lisbon, can you please find if he's related to… our Lisbon?"

"There's a James Lisbon on the list?" Vega exclaimed, dumbfounded. "I didn't see it!"

"Could be a coincidence." Cho remarked.

Jane shot him an annoyed look.

"How many times do I have to say it, there's no such thing as coincidences."

Cho only shrugged in response, as Wylie began to frantically type on his computer. Jane bent over to have a close look at his computer screen, and soon enough, Vega was sneaking a peek too. During a few minutes, they all quivered with impatience, as the computer ran through the database. Finally, the little beep signaling the end of the search rang out in the room.

"There it is! James Lisbon, 33 years old. Known relatives: Stanley Lisbon, Tommy Lisbon…"

"That's it! Tommy Lisbon! I met him. James is Lisbon's brother!" Jane interrupted him. His mind was already racing, trying to understand all the implications of this discovery.

"… and Teresa Lisbon." Wylie finished. "Wow."

"Guys, this doesn't mean he had anything to do with the murders." Cho coolly took part in the conversation.

"Actually, yes, I think he did." Wylie said. "Apparently he tried to withdraw five hundred dollars yesterday from a cash point very close to the crime scene, but he didn't have enough money on his account. He only got two hundreds and fifty-two dollars. That can't be a coincidence."

"Show me his picture." Jane urged him.

He hadn't thought about it, but Lisbon's brother could very possibly be of those butchered bodies who had almost caused her to throw up. At the thought that she would have to go through this, Jane's stomach clenched and he wanted to vomit as well.

However, when James' picture appeared on the screen, he let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. From what he remembered of the crime scene, Jimmy Lisbon was clearly not one of the victims, and Jane's memory rarely failed him. His mind tried to tell him that James could also be the killer, but he pushed the thought aside.

It was the moment Abbott chose to get out of his office, looking clearly pissed.

"I hope you have good news for me, because I just got out of a very unpleasant conversation with the mayor who wants results, fast."

"Actually, we do, boss." Vega answered." We found someone. But uh… There's just a small problem."

"What is it?" Abbott asked.

"Let's say Lisbon may not be too happy to learn her brother is suspected of murder." Jane answered dryly.

Abbott raised his eyebrows.

"Her brother is involved in this mess?"

"It appears so, sir." Wylie answered.

"Where is she, by the way?" Abbott asked. "Weren't she supposed to get here with you, Jane?"

"I sent her home. She wasn't feeling well."

"But you said…"Wylie observed, perplexed.

"Well, I lied."

"It doesn't matter, Jane." Abbott said calmly. "In fact, it's even better. For obvious reasons, I don't want Lisbon involved in this investigation anymore."

"We can't tell her about any of this." Jane stated with an unfriendly look, as if he dared anyone to contradict him.

Abbott raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms.

"And why is that?"

"I don't want her to think her brother is a killer even though we're not sure yet. If he…"His voice broke a little. "If he turns out to be the killer, then we'll tell her, with precaution and tactfully. Until then, she mustn't know anything."

Jane noticed that Vega and Wylie seemed more than a little puzzled by his protectiveness but he chose to deal with this problem later. Right now, he couldn't care less if their coworkers discovered that they were an item. All he cared about anymore was Lisbon's well-being, the rest was just details.

"Well, I guess, if you really insist, we won't tell her anything. I'm sure you can find a way to keep her away from here. But, Jane, can I have a word, please?" Abbott calmly asked.

"Sure." Jane shrugged, trying to hide his emotions which were running high.

"Great. Meanwhile, Vega, Wylie, track James Lisbon down. I want him in an interrogation room as soon as possible."

"Sure thing, boss." Vega answered, clearly still bewildered by the all matter, but as always, willing to do anything to please her supervisor.

Jane followed Abbott in his office and sat in one of his chair, already knowing what he would tell him.

"Jane, I am not in the habit of intruding in other people's private life, but I just want to tell you that I hope you know what you're doing. Lisbon won't be happy that we kept that from her, and I want to be sure that this all matter won't affect your work."

"It won't."

In fact, Jane was far from truly feeling the self-confidence he was displaying in front of his boss. He knew that this was probably one his most hazardous con, for he had literally everything to lose if it went wrong. He only hoped that, in the end, Lisbon would understand that he had done that to protect her from any heartache. He knew how much she loved her brothers, and how much it would hurt her to think of one of them as a killer.

"Let's go talk to Stanley." He suddenly said.

"Who?"

"Her other brother." He clarified.

Abbott seemed to hesitate to send him on the field but finally, with a shrug, he nodded.

"Fine. Take Cho with you."

Immediately, Jane got up. He had never been more resolved to solve a case quickly and deep down inside, he had the ridiculous hope that he could maybe solve it before midday. Not once did he let his mind dwell on the fact that he was about to talk with one of Lisbon's brother, someone that he might see pretty often if his plans for the future turned out well.

"And Jane?"

Abbott's voice made him pause for a second.

"Don't screw this up."

And they both knew that this request was not only about the case.

**A/N: And there we are! Next chapter, Jane will meet both of Lisbon's brothers, and Lisbon will have a bad surprise (I'll let you guess what it is). This chapter was really just a prologue, and that's why I had to explain a lot of things about the case, so I hope it wasn't too boring for you, and that you'll stick with this story. Meanwhile, maybe you can drop a review, that would be awesome **** I'll hope you'll enjoy tonight's episode ( 6 is my lucky number, so I'm sure it will be great). **


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